Pac-12 Sees Postseason Prospects Fade as Bowl Cancellations Pile Up Nationwide

In a year where every college football team still standing is bowl eligible, the number of games for them to play in is shrinking daily.

The Holiday Bowl in San Diego is one of nine bowl games canceled this week. The bowl cancellations thus far have disproportionately affected the Pac-12 as the West Coast gears up for a COVID-19-related lockdown in early December. (Image: Getty)

Bowl cancellations started in earnest this week. The inflection point came on the West Coast, where COVID-19 cases are spiking to untenable highs and a shutdown looms. In some cases, individual counties are shutting down any activity that would gather teams or groups of people.

First Nine Bowl Games Called

Despite the pandemic, bowl organizers were cautiously optimistic this summer as 43 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) bowl games were scheduled before kickoff in late-August.

As of Friday, the number is down to 34 and shrinking. The first casualty on the calendar is the Frisco Bowl on Dec. 19.

No Vegas Baby

The Las Vegas Bowl, which was scheduled to match a Pac-12 team with an SEC opponent, was set to play for the first time at Allegiant Stadium, the Las Vegas Raiders’ new home.

The game was called off on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, we will have to wait another year to present the Las Vegas Bowl in its new home,” Las Vegas Bowl executive director John Saccenti said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision, but the right one.”

Including Vegas, the Pac-12 has lost a quintet of bowl games, the others being Redbox, Bahamas, the Holiday, and the Sun.

The only remaining Pac-12 option is the Alamo Bowl, which has not yet officially been called off.

“The Pac-12 is disappointed for our teams and fans,” Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement about the Las Vegas Bowl. “We look forward to next year’s game, which promises to be a fantastic national stage in one of the world’s best football stadiums.

The two College Football Playoff semifinal games are scheduled for Jan. 1, 2021. This season’s semifinal venues are the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship is scheduled for Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

2020-21 Bowl Games Cancellations

The following bowl games have already been taken off this year’s postseason schedule. It’s likely that other games will be added to this list in the coming weeks.